In The Mezzanine, Nicholson Baker portrays the main character, Howie, as an enthusiastic person. In spite of working in a corporate setting (introduced to the reader as one of the most monotonous jobs at the time), Howie always seems to find a way to keep his inquisitive mind busy. From pondering about his shoelaces' rate of decay to the history of straws, Howie obsesses himself with mundane subjects as a way of escaping from the repetitiveness of his life.
In order to keep himself from getting bored, Howie is always observing his surroundings. There are so many things going through his mind at any given moment, that it would be impossible for the reader to understand the insane train of thought he experiences in such a short period of time. To help the reader decipher his mind, Baker condenses all of Howie's observations into written text, simplifying his escalator ride into a 135 page rambling of disorganized thoughts.
The novel, written in first person, provides Howie's unique perspective on everyday objects. For example, when Howie is commenting about his laundry services, he says, "... the shirts weren't merely folded: strips of light blue paper held them tightly and individually to their stored state, their arms impossibly bent behind them as if each were concealing a present" (50). To the reader, when they imagine a normal shirt, they see it as it is: a folded shirt. But Howie, observing every little detail, from each crevice to each fold, realizes the arms of the shirt are bent at such an angle that they could be hiding something, such as a present. This quote demonstrates one of Howie's best abilities in the novel: to expose the reader to a different perspective of everyday life by defamiliarizing what may seem like straightforward objects. By doing so, Howie keeps the reader engaged, thus allowing him to further digress in his thoughts until he finally reaches the end of the escalator, concluding the novel.
In the end, Howie seems to act as a vessel to carry Baker's overarching theme. He hides bits and portions of it within Howie's digressions, and if the reader has been paying even half the attention Howie does throughout the novel, they will be able to find a theme or at least get a general idea.
From what I have uncovered, I believe the theme is: For every negative aspect in society, there will be as many positive aspects, of which 99% are hidden for you to discover.
What do you think is Howie's role in The Mezzanine? What themes do you believe are present in the novel?
